TV Advertisement Contest
by Queen of Spiritual
Summary: Fred sees an interesting advertisement on TV and decides to get involved. It's a contest, but would the gang stand a chance to winning this fun week? Find out
1. Chapter 1

Fred flipped through the channels on the television. His friends weren't around to see this latest advertisement. He thought it was really interesting. It wasn't around very long to get enough attention. Here's what the ad said on the screen:

"This is a contest. If anyone of you are interested, you could be a winner to spend a week with Perry Mason. You may never know if you'll win to have this fun week. You could also be the winner and maybe involved in a murder to solve. If you're watching this ad right now, dial the number at the bottom on the screen and have this opportunity to meet the famous lawyer and secretary. Good luck. On how you will know if you're the winner of this contest, you will receive the information through the mail."

Fred laughed a little bit as he dialed the number that was on the screen. Since he and his friends are well – known for solving mysteries, they could stand a chance to win this contest. After putting the telephone back, Fred turned off the television to do something else. Not sure where his friends are, he called for them instead of searching the house.

"Gang!" Fred yelled as loud as he could so Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma would join him to hear about this latest advertisement. His friends joined him as fast as they could.

"You called, Freddy?"

"Yes, Daphne. Guess what was on television? It was a TV ad. Too bad you weren't here to see it."

"Just tell us, Fred," Shaggy told him.

"That's what I'm doing, Shaggy. Have any of you guys seen that advertisement about winning a contest?"

"What kind of contest is this, Fred? Maybe you can give us the details and we'll answer your question," Velma told him.

"Well, the contest is about spending an entire week and maybe have the chance to work on a murder mystery."

Now Velma was seeing where Fred is coming on about this contest.

"What is the mystery about, Freddy?" Daphne asked.

Fred shook his head and said, "I have no clue. The winner of this contest is to spend a whole week with that famous lawyer, Perry Mason."

Now the three of his friends were showing more interest since Fred said the magic word, which was "mystery."

"What did you do then?" Shaggy asked their friend.

"I wrote the number from the screen and called in. Even if we don't win, we gave it a shot."

"This sounds very exciting, Fred! I've been watching those reruns on TV myself, so now I see where you're coming with this," said Velma.

"That's what I thought."

"How do we know if we're the lucky winners?" asked Shaggy.

"Through the mail."

"Oh."

"I wonder what kind of mystery it's going to be," said Velma.

"Aged," he said.

Now all they had to do was wait for the mail to arrive about this contest, whenever that will be.


	2. Chapter 2

"Perry, this should be exciting," Della said.

For those who don't know, she happens to be a secretary to a lawyer.

"Yes, I know, Della. I think Paul's in charge of this, not me."

Della nodded. At least Perry had given her a reminder.

"Oh, I almost forgot Paul's in charge of this contest. I needed that reminder."

"Remember Paul wanted to have at least four lucky winners?"

"I do now since you just reminded me. Speaking of Paul, where is he?"

Perry shrugged. His shoulders.

"I don't know. I don't need to know every little thing that he does."

Paul is the best private investigator he's had since he began his practice. What gave Perry the idea of becoming a lawyer because it ran in the family.

"I'm sure Paul is taking his time on getting ideas on who would win this contest that he came up with."

Della had to agree with him.

"He'll let us know when he decides to stop that advertisement on television. He's probably received a lot of telephone calls by now," he told her.

Again Della agreed.

"Let's ask him that question when we see him again," she said.

"The more we talk about it, the more curious we get. I don't know what made Paul come up with an idea like this."

"Maybe he wanted to try something different, Perry. It's his idea, he can choose four lucky winners when he makes up his mind."

He nodded.

"I'm leaving for a while, Della. If anyone wants to speak with me, have them leave a message to call them back."

"All right, Perry. I always do."

"Of course you do, Della. I don't know when I return. Even if Paul's planning to look for me, I'll just do it myself."

"All right. Talk to you later, Perry."

"I'll see you again soon."

That's when the lawyer left.

"I think he's a bit nervous about this whole contest. I'm curious to know who are the lucky contest winners are. Are they going to be local or from somewhere else?"

Della kept trying her hardest to come up with names, but all she could think of was people they personally knew. Before Della began to do anything else, the phone rang immediately.

"Perry Mason's office. This is Della Street."

"Hello, Ms. Street. Is Perry in?"

Della didn't recognize the woman's name, so all she did was ask, "What's your name, ma'am?"

"I'm Perry's mother. I'd like to speak to my son if he's around."

"Well, Mrs. Mason, he left not too long ago."

"Do you know when he plans to return?"

"No, I don't. He really didn't say. Is there anything wrong?"

Della could tell the other woman was worried about something, but what was it? Since it was only his mother, Perry would understand what's going on with his family.

"Tell Perry to call back immediately when he returns. This isn't good news, so please pass it on, Ms. Street. It's about my husband."

"Your husband? What does this have to do with him that made you call his office?"

"It's more of a personal subject. Perry has mentioned you a few times. We should meet sometime."

"That would be nice."

Now that was when the call ended.

Della didn't need to write down his mother's message. Since she now knew it was from his family, she'd just tell him once he returns. While Della had taken his mother's call, Perry was with Paul since he and Della were talking about him in the first place.

"Hey, Perry. I wasn't expecting to see you," greeted Paul.

"I know you weren't," the lawyer told his private investigator.

"Let me guess why you came to see me. It's about that contest. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are, Paul. Della and I were only talking about your contest idea of yours. Are you receiving any telephone calls?"

"Actually, I have been. I do still have plenty of time to decide who would want to meet with us."

"How did you come up with such an idea like this, Paul?" the lawyer asked.

Paul shrugged.

"I don't know. I only thought it would be something different for a change, even if it means people we already know, if you don't count our clients."

"You're only doing this so we could have some fun."

"That's exactly right, Perry. Maybe there might be a murder involving the lucky winners."

"So that's why you're having this contest."

"You got that right, Perry. Maybe these winners might solve their own mysteries."

"I never thought about that, but we wish you luck on finding the lucky winners," he told Paul.

"You'll know when I choose. You better go back to your office, Perry. It might be crazy with these phone calls about the contest."

"You have a good point, Paul. I probably have a few messages by now. Good luck."

"Thanks, Perry. I thin I'll need the luck."

"I'll talk with you again another time."

"Take care, Perry."

"Same to you, Paul."

That's when he walked out of Paul's office. Yes, Paul has been keeping a list of callers who are interested. It was now time to get back to work.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fred, do you think this whole television advertisement contest could be a phony?"

"I don't know, Velma. I just don't know. If it was a phony, Perry Mason wouldn't have that advertisement to meet him and you may never know if there's going to be a mystery. Perry Mason's not dumb to put a phony contest on TV like that if it was phony. He's smart about not sharing something like that," Fred answered.

"Is that where he came up with that crazy idea to have someone help him out on a case?"

"I don't know if this ad works, Fred," Shaggy said.

"Shaggy, you wouldn't be crazy if you were a lawyer like Perry Mason is. You have to be smart and not stupid," Fred told his friend.

"He's right, Shaggy. Perry Mason is one of those hard – working lawyers out there. He doesn't have to waste his time. He is smart like Fred just said," Daphne said, agreeing with Fred.

"What did the advertisement say about on how many winners who would be the lucky ones, Fred? We haven't seen that ad yet. Must be something new."

"Velma, that ad said there should only be four lucky winners. I signed us up. You may never know if Perry Mason chooses us."

"Any guesses on what kind of mystery it could be?" Daphne asked.

Fred shook his head and answered, "I don't have any guesses. If there's a mystery, that's already been chosen, my guess could probably be murder."

"That does make sense, and he does work on murder cases," agreed Velma.

"I see your point, but what if monsters were involved? How would Mason handle that one?"

Even until today, Shaggy still believes in ghosts and monsters, so that's probably why he thought of that question.

"Shaggy, don't start that again. There's absolutely no way those winners would believe in that question. I doubt ghosts and monsters."

"You're right, Daphne. There wouldn't be monsters and ghosts in any murder that Perry has ever worked on. It should be fun to meet Perry in person, even if it does mean we are the ones he has chosen for this ad he put on TV."

Everyone agreed with Velma and Shaggy had to agree on being the lucky winners.

"Do you think that somebody from his office decided to come up with this advertisement?" Shaggy asked.

"There's a good guess, Shaggy. Maybe he did it himself."

That was all the gang could come up with on this whole Perry Mason contest.

"If you happen to think someone else did come up with this idea, maybe it could've been either Della or Paul who came up with this and Perry probably went along with it," Velma guessed.

Velma and Fred nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Daphne. There wouldn't be monsters and ghosts in any murder that Perry has ever worked on. It should be fun to meet Perry in person, even if it does mean we are the ones he has chosen for this ad he put on TV."

Everyone agreed with Velma and Shaggy had to agree on being the lucky winners.

"Do you think that somebody from his office decided to come up with this advertisement?" Shaggy asked.

"There's a good guess, Shaggy. Maybe he did it himself."

That was all the gang could come up with on this whole Perry Mason contest.

"If you happen to think someone else did come up with this idea, maybe it could've been either Della or Paul who came up with this and Perry probably went along with it," Velma guessed.

"I've thought of that, too."

That was Fred who said that. They were only coming up with both ideas which can work either way.

"Shaggy, do you have any other ideas besides ghosts and monsters all the time? There haven't been any monsters and ghosts out there lately."

"Velma, that's all I can think of. There is a monster that we have out there today."

"And who exactly is our monster?"

"The President. That's your answer. He's a creep to some of us, but he is also a hard – working man."

Again, everyone agreed with everyone agreed with Velma. There really weren't anymore ideas or guesses about meeting Perry if it means them. They're only having fun with coming up with guesses and ideas.

"If it's us, do you think we might have the chance to meet his family?"

"Shaggy, that's another good guess, but I doubt that wouldn't happen. I'm sure that Perry's family isn't alive. We never really learned that about him. He probably keeps that information to himself. I doubt that he's married. A lot of these people keep him busy enough."

That was something the gang would've guessed. Daphne has a purple pen and notebook with her. Fred and the others did notice it too.

"Daphne, why do you have a pen and notebook for?" Velma asked.

"I thought if I could keep a list of our ideas and guesses we just came up with. Even if we happen to be the winners, I thought it was a good idea to see which is the correct answer."

Fred had to agree with Daphne.

"I agree, Daph. It's not going to make a big deal if one of us is right about our ideas. Shaggy, your idea about the ghosts and monsters will never happen. We haven't worked on any mysteries lately, but it's nice to take a break every once in a while," Fred told him.

"If you see this again, Fred, let us know so we can see that this contest is not a phony," Velma told him.

"I will. I haven't seen it until I told you guys. I'm pretty sure you'll probably believe me. I'm not joking about this contest I just heard about. It does sounded like a fun idea."

"We don't need to keep repeating it, Freddy," Velma told him.

"I know. Meeting someone like him could be very impossible."

"Fred, that's enough."

"We can still talk about this advertisement if we want to."

"What were you watching when this came on?"

"Daphne, I was only watching the news. I don't know how this showed up. If I were you, Daph, I'd keep that book with me."

"That's what I plan to do, Freddy. Then I'll just put a check on the ideas so that way I can see what the best guess was."

"Anyone get brownie points on this one?"

"I don't think so," she answered.


	4. Chapter 4

About an hour or so after his mother's telephone call with Della, Perry returned. He saw Della had not looked happy like she usually is.

"Hi, Della," Perry said as he slammed the door behind him.

"Hi, Perry."

Della got up from her desk to give him a hug and he returned it.

"What's wrong? You don't look very happy right now. Did you miss me?" he asked once they finished their hug.

"Of course I missed you. By the way, your mother called shortly after you left the office."

"What made my mother the idea of calling my office? She knows my schedule."

"I'm sure that she does."

"Just get to the point on why you don't look very happy," he told her.

"Your mother sounded worried. I know I've never met your folks, Perry, but I do feel bad about her telephone call."

"It doesn't sound like good news to me, Della. Did she say why she wanted to share with me?"

"All she told me was that it was about your father."

"That's why you're not very happy. Well I do appreciate your concern for my parents. I'll go return her phone call right now."

Once Perry walked into his office, his private investigator, Paul Drake walked in.

"Hello, Paul. What a pleasant surprise."

"I know, Della. Is Perry around? I saw his car in the parking lot. I do want to share more about that television advertisement I put out."

"Is there anything going on?"

"A little bit, but I'd like to tell you both at the same time."

"Perry just walked in, but he received a telephone call when he was gone."

"Do you know who the caller was? You don't look or sound very happy," Paul told her.

"Perry said the same thing, Paul. The phone call that came in sounded personal."

"Personal? Do you have the name written down?" Paul asked.

"Didn't need to. It was his mother."

"Perry's mother? What did she want?"

"I don't know. She really didn't give me any details. This wasn't a very happy call."

"That's a shame. I'm sure Perry would tell us."

"Of course he would."

Perry did hear Paul and Della talking, but he didn't catch any of it. Right now his mother was more important. He dialed the number. He listened to the telephone ring a couple times before he received an answer.

"Hi, Mom. This is Perry."

"Hi, Perry. I appreciate you calling back," she said worriedly.

"What happened? My secretary isn't very happy. She's worried for you too."

"I'm sure she is. I wasn't talking about her. I'm talking about your father!"

"What does this have to do with Dad?"

Della and Paul finally had the chance to listen in on the conversation between son and mother.

"Your father died, Perry!"

Of course Mrs. Mason started crying, and Perry couldn't blame her.

"How did Dad pass on?"

"I don't know, Perry. I was out shopping and found him dead when I returned."

The tears continued.

"Perry, I think your father was murdered."

Perry now had been starting to have a shocked look on his face.

"Mom, did you lock the doors when you left the house?"

"I did. Somehow the doors were unlocked when I returned."

"Sorry to hear that, Mom. Where was Dad?" he asked as the shocked look stayed.

"The couch watching television. It's a good thing this didn't happen on the bed because I just washed the sheets, which I'm thankful for."

He had to agree.

"I'll come up with a date to come out. Right now I have a couple of clients who are keeping me busy."

"I hope you will come up with something fast. I need to see you immediately."

The tears were coming even harder than they did two minutes ago.

"I'll see what I can do, Mom. I surely will call again when I come up with a date."

"Please do. I can't wait much longer."

They said a few more words and he disconnected.

That's when Della and Paul saw him rejoin them. Both she and Paul saw the shocked look Perry had on his face.

"What happened, Perry?"

Della gave him another hug, which he returned.

"Perry, I do have an update on that advertisement."

"Go ahead, Paul."

The shocked look still stayed.

"I got a phony contest candidate who is interested in us. I didn't accept him because he sounded like a murderer to me. Why are you shocked?"

Perry didn't sound interested in hearing anything else on the contest. He looked like he was about to cry any minute now.

"What was your mother calling about?"

"My father was murdered earlier today, Della."

"I'm so sorry, Perry. You need to go home."

"You're right, Paul. I'm a mess. You can update that advertisement and announce a murder has arrived!"

Then Perry left his office.

"He's a mess for sure, Della. Do you want me to look after him?"

"I don't think it's necessary, Paul, but it's a good idea. Go update that advertisement like he told you."

"I'll go do that tomorrow first thing."


	5. Chapter 5

Shaggy turned the television on and saw a commercial. It looked like to him there was a commercial break. It indeed was an update on that contest.

"Hey, gang, come here!" Shaggy called.

His friends ran as fast as they could and see what made him yell.

"What is it, Shag?" Velma asked, sitting on the couch beside him.

"There's a commercial about Perry Mason."

"Is that way you called us?"

"Yes, Freddy. I thought you wouldn't want to miss out on it. This is why I called you."

Shaggy was right – it indeed was an update. It was Paul's voice they heard. Here is what he said:

"This is an update for those who are interested in spending some time with Perry Mason. This is your chance to be the winners. If you are interested, here is the number to call."

Paul left the phone number on the screen. Velma was the one who wrote all of the information that they all saw on the screen.

"I see you wrote the number down, Velma," Daphne told her.

"I did just in case we are the lucky winners, which one of us will call now?"

Paul's voice also added, "This is the perfect time to get involved and help Perry Mason by solving a murder about his family. For more information, please call the number under the screen."

Then the commercial was finished.

"Wow! Who would want to murder a family member of the famous lawyer?" Fred asked as he began to turn the television off.

"Very good question, Fred. I doubt Mr. Mason wouldn't have been the one to do that who happens to be a family member," Daphne said.

Even Shaggy and Velma had to agree.

"If somebody does suspect Mr. Mason, that would really be news big time," agreed Fred.

"He's not that kind of person to murder somebody."

Even though the gang don't know Perry, Paul and Della at all personally, they already knew this as a fact. Of course it might even be them if chosen to win this contest. As far as lots of us know by now, the Scooby Doo gang were well – known for solving mysteries, so they could have that chance.

"Why don't you call the office, Velma? You're the one who wrote all of this information down," Fred told Velma.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Freddy."

All of them watched as Velma picked up her cell phone and punched in the number. They all stuck around so that way they could hear Velma's telephone conversation.

Velma listened to the telephone ring at Perry's office. She thought there have only been other people who are interested as she and her friends are. Maybe this could be why Paul Drake left that kind of information for people to see.

Della answered the telephone since she's Perry's secretary.

"Is this Perry Mason's office?" asked Velma.

"Yes, it is. Would you mind giving me your name?" asked Della.

"Velma Dinkley. My friends and I are very interested in helping Mr. Mason on his latest case."

"So you have been following the advertisement that Paul is in charge of?"

"Exactly. We just saw there was an update on the latest information."

"Yes, there is. Would you like to speak with either Perry or Paul?"

"Whoever is available at the moment," she answered.

"Mr. Mason is available. I can go get him."

"All right."

While waiting for Perry to come on, Velma told her friends, "I get to talk with Perry. He's available."

That's when Perry took the call.

"Perry Mason speaking."

"Hello, Mr. Mason. My name is Velma Dinkley. My friends and I have been following that advertisement on television. We just saw there was an update. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. Would you prefer to speak with Paul since he's the one who put this whole thing together?"

"No, that's all right. I'd rather speak with you. What happened to update this advertisement?"

"A family member passed on recently," answered Perry.

"So sorry for your loss. I'd like to hear the story."

"That information can wait until it's time for Paul to decide on the winners. I am not going to share this information over the telephone."

"I understand about personal information. While you're we're still talking about this subject, why don't we find out when you want the lucky people to help you solve this case?"

Her friends were still there as she was talking. They didn't catch every word on the conversation. One thing Velma noticed almost immediately was that Mr. Mason indeed sounded shocked.

He wasn't shocked at all about her telephone call. It was the news of his father's murder. It looked like his mother hasn't said much quite yet.

"Well, Mr. Mason, would you like to have my contact information?" Velma asked.

"Yes, please."

She gave it out. Velma did hear him pull out a piece of paper so he could write down her number.

When she gave the information out, Perry told her, "I'll pass this over to Paul since he's in charge of this contest. I hope that's all right with you."

"All right. Have a good rest of your day."

"Same to you, Ms. Velma."

That's when the conversation disconnected.

"What did you get out of him, Velma?" Daphne asked.

"You asked my question," Fred told Daphne.

"I know, Freddy."

"I thought you guys heard the entire conversation."

"Not every word, Velma. Tell us what he said," Fred told his friend.

"You should've heard Mr. Mason's voice."

"What did it sound like?" Shaggy asked.

"Shocked. That's probably why he let Paul Drake start this whole thing up."

"Poor guy. This will be over before we know it," said Daphne.

Everyone agreed on what she said.

After this telephone call with Perry, she and her friends decided to go for a nice walk.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, Perry got together with Paul and Della, but this time they were at Paul's office for a change.

"Have you decided to end the advertisement contest yet?" Perry asked.

"I ended it a week ago. I had about a hundred people who are interested in this case we're about to start on your dad's murder. I've already picked out the four lucky winners."

"Go and tell us more, Paul," she said.

This should definitely be fun to have four other people working with him, but they didn't know that Fred and his friends were also well – known for solving mysteries. This should be the perfect match.

"I don't know much about these lucky winners, Perry. They were one of the first to respond about this contest I put together."

"Do you have any names to share with us, Paul?"

"Just one I will share with you. His name is Fred Jones. He has a group of friends that are the other lucky winners. I'm going to talk more with him for more information."

"Good idea, Paul," Perry told his private investigator.

"You're a good investigator, Perry has. You can try to investigate these lucky winners."

"I know I'm a good private eye, Della, but what is there for me to investigate about them? I'll try to give it a shot and see what happens."

Perry saw that Paul had a very good point there, but saw there was no need to add anything else.

"Another thing Fred has told me was his friends' names were, but I think that will come another time."

"Do you have the answer to know how old they are?"

"No, Della. We'll find that answer when he and his friends get here," Paul answered.

"Sounds good enough for me right now. Have you thought of a place for them to stay when they arrive?"

"He and I will get to that."

"I'd be happy to pay for their hotel bill," Perry offered.

"That's a very good idea you came up with. I'll be sure to mention it to him and his friends. He used the word gang over the phone, though. I'm guessing that he might be involved with a group of friends who are people that are up to no good."

"It might be the other way around," Della said, trying to stay on the positive side, which he and Perry both noticed at the same time.

Keep staying positive side is usually a good thing.

"You may be right, Della. I guess that's how Fred calls his friends when they get together," Paul replied.

"That's what I meant, Paul. I can't wait to meet Fred and his group of friends."

"Me neither," Perry and Paul agreed.

"I'll be sure to mention your offer of the hotel bill, Perry. I think that's a good idea to do that for the lucky winners. I doubt that he and his friends know anything about solving cases like this one. At least you're just doing your part to make these lucky winners feel welcome when they show up to help."

"Just thought it sounded like a good idea to treat our lucky winners this as a gift to show them that I appreciate their help on figuring out Dad's murder. I know for sure that Mom would not have done this. They're both good people. Going to law school runs in the family. I guess I decided to do this to keep the generation going."

"Look how successful you are, Perry. You've won every single case since you started this practice. Now you have me and Della to be part of your team. We sure do enjoy working with you. Don't you think so too, Della?"

"I agree with Paul. You are easy to work with."

"Thank you, Della and Paul. I'm happy we are the right team to win everything. Maybe we can win Dad's murder case."

"We will, Perry. Let's just wait and see how fast this group will do and help us."

"Do you have any ideas on how to get more information on these people?" she asked.

"I don't think it isn't necessary to investigate them, Della. This can wait until they will show up."

"I agree with you, Paul. We don't need a lot of information about them right now. That can wait," Perry agreed.

Della could see Paul's point, but didn't have to say anything else and add on. She even saw that it did make sense. Maybe she would be around Velma and Daphne while the guys go ahead and work on Perry's case. Maybe Velma and Daphne might not be interested in helping solve the murder case. It did turn out that she was on the wrong side about Velma and Daphne. She didn't care one way or another. It goes both ways.


	7. Chapter 7

Fred was at home while Daphne and Velma went shopping. Shaggy and Scooby were outside, snacking, which didn't surprise him one bit. The phone rang, and he answered.

"Hello?"

"Fred, this is Paul Drake."

"Hello, Mr. Drake. How are you?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking. I called for an update."

"What is the update?" Fred asked.

"A murder just arrived, and I have already made up my mind on who would help us out."

"Tell me the update and I'll pass it to my friends."

"I made up my mind on choosing you and your friends to be the lucky winners," Paul began.

"What is the murder about?"

"Mr. Mason's father had just recently passed away. This is where you and your friends come in. If you don't mind, would you like to tell me about yourself so we can get a better idea on who you really are?"

"Sure. I don't mind telling you about us. Did Mr. Mason say what happened to his father?" Fred asked.

"No, he didn't say much, but it was his mother who did call."

"Did she give out any details on this murder?" Fred asked.

"She talked with Perry, so he will have to share that with you. Oh, before I forget, Mr. Mason said he will be happy to pay for your hotel bill. It's his way of saying thank you."

"Can you know if the hotel will allow pets? We have a dog, and we take him everywhere with us."

"I know that these hotels here in Los Angeles only accept service animals. Is your dog one of them?"

"No, Sir. He helps us."

"Must be a very special dog, then. I'll ask for you if that's okay with you."

"Please do, Mr. Drake."

"You can call me Paul."

"Okay. My friends and I will let you make reservations for us when it gets closer for us to come and help," Fred said.

So Fred finally told Paul a little bit about themselves, which Paul appreciated. He would share with Perry and Della about taking Scooby with them and see what ideas they can come up with in case Scooby isn't accepted in hotels.

Shaggy walked into the kitchen while Scooby stayed outside. Shaggy even noticed Fred was on the phone having a conversation with somebody. He'll get to hear about it later on. He poured two more glasses of lemonade and bought out the entire bag of carrots. Fred did see that Shaggy was out of the kitchen. All Fred could do was wave to Shaggy since Paul was talking.

"Do you think it was Mr. Mason's mother who could have murdered his father?"

"We don't think so, Fred. Perry said that they are people who are respected by everyone. What kind of dog do you and your friends have?"

"He's a Great Dane."

"A big dog then."

"Yes. He's a friendly dog."

"I'm sure he is. If your hotel says they can't accept him, maybe either myself or Mr. Mason will take him in. I'm sorry. I am correcting myself. I can't accept your dog."

"How come?" Fred asked.

"Because I'm allergic to dogs."

"Sorry to hear that. Would you rather have us ask a friend of ours to look after him while we're with you?"

"No, don't bother. I'm sure we'll work something out. Is he any trouble to look after?"

"Not really. Sometimes he can be out of control. Do you and Mr. Mason live in a house or apartment?" Fred asked.

"He lives in an apartment, I don't. We'll work something out."

"You didn't need to say it twice, Mr. Drake. I'll pass this information to my friends later. It was nice speaking with you," Fred told him.

"Same with you, Fred. We'll keep in touch."

He heard Velma and Daphne walking into the house through the garage. That's when he hung up with Paul. Shaggy and Scooby joined him.

"Who were you talking with, Freddy?" Shaggy asked.

"You remember Paul Drake, right?"

The three of them nodded their heads.

"He and I had a nice conversation. I do have news to share."

"What's that, Fred?" Velma asked.

"Remember that TV ad we saw on TV?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Well, Mr. Drake says that we are the lucky winners!"

"You must be kidding, Fred.'

"I'm not, Shaggy. Will you please let me finish?"

"Yes."

Scooby burped.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Since we're the lucky winners, he did mention that this mystery is a family member."

"Of who? It can't be Mr. Mason. I doubt his family is even alive anymore."

"You're right, Daphne. It is Mr. Mason."

"Wow, that's a shame," Velma said.

"Yes, it is. I did tell Mr. Drake a little about Scooby so he would know that we have a furry friend with us. We're going to work something out."

"Did you ask him about Scoob?" Shaggy asked.

"Yes, I did. Don't worry, Scooby. I didn't tell him that you happen to be a talking dog. Let them be surprised for themselves without us giving anything out. I doubt nobody will ever believe us."

"About having a talking dog is very helpful, Scoob. Don't you ever forget that."

"I won't, Raggy. I love you."

"We love you too. I hope you can stay at the hotel we'll be staying in."

"Oh, there is something he told me over the phone. Mr. Drake doesn't think it's strange having a dog like Scoob around. Since he works with the law, I'm sure Mr. Drake understands about the thing about dogs. He did say something else, though. He said Mr. Mason lives in an apartment, so if the hotel says they can't accept Scoob, we'll try to come up with an idea. He mentioned he's allergic to animals, so he will have to be careful around Scoob."

"That's too bad he's allergic, Fred. How about Mr. Mason's secretary? Did he says anything about her?"

"No, Velma, he didn't. He said he'll pass this over to Mr. Mason about Scoob so they they'll be aware that we are bringing a furry friend."

"Smart move. What are we going to do until we talk with Mr. Drake again?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know. Here's another thing he mentioned. He said that we wouldn't have to bother paying the bill. He said Mr. Mason is doing that just to have his way of saying thank you."

"That was nice of him."

"Yes, it is."


	8. Chapter 8

Paul was able to get together with Perry and Della within the next day or two. He was going to bring them up – to – date on the contest thing.

"I have news to share," Paul said.

"What's that? Any luck on picking the winners?" Perry asked.

"Yes. I talked with them just a couple days ago. They are a few kids that solve mysteries with a dog that tags along."

"You mean as a bloodhound?"

"One of the kids told me the dog was a Great Dane. I told that kid we'll try to make arrangements."

"I see what you mean, Paul. You can tell us the names of the kids you picked out."

"I talked with this kid called Fred. He has a few other friends that I chose also. I forget their names, but he did mention them."

"Where are they from?" Della asked.

"Not sure. I didn't ask that question since it never came to my mind."

"Paul, you can chose whoever you want. This whole thing was your idea in the first place," Perry replied.

"I know. I came up with it because I thought it would be something fun."

"And it is," Della agreed.

"At least we now have my father's murder, so we can send these kids out whenever they get plans."

"I told them we would do everything. I did mention to this Fred kid about their dog. I don't remember if I shared with you guys on this, but I can't have that dog at my place because of those allergies. I'll do my best to be careful around that dog."

"We forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder, Paul. You can tell those kids I wouldn't mind taking him while they're here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Perry answered.

"Okay. I did add that you said you wouldn't mind paying their bill."

"Of course I don't."

"At least you're being generous, Perry," Della agreed.

"I know, but I thought I had to do something instead of just having somebody come for the fun of it to work with me about my father."

"How is your mother taking it?" Della asked.

"I haven't talked to her since that call, but I know it's hard on her like it is to me."

"Understandable," Paul said as Della agreed.

"It would be interesting to have a dog with me on my father's murder case."

Both Della and Paul agreed with him.

"Did you ask what the dog's name was?" Perry asked.

"No," was the answer.

"It's not a big deal," Perry told him.

"I know. He says the dog happens to be very friendly."

"Sounds like the kid you're telling us might be the leader of the group."

"I agree, even though we haven't met them yet. Maybe we should decide on transportation when the kids come out."

"That's no big deal, Paul. They can come up with something on their own."

"I think you mean rental car," Della said.

"Exactly."

"A lot of people do that when they travel," Perry added.

Neither Paul or Della said anything.

"You sound like you want to talk with those kids anytime soon," Paul said.

"Thinking about it. I might need their number again. I forgot what it was when I talked with the news about my father."

Paul wrote it down.

"Here you go, Perry. You might be better at talking about this then me."

Perry didn't bother saying anything.

That same night after work, he decided to wait for a while and call Fred and his friends up.

At least he was able to do this while it was still in his mind.

He dialed the number and listened to it ring.

"Hello?" a girl's voice said.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"I'm Velma. Nice to hear from you again, Mr. Mason. What did you call us about?"

"My private investigator, Paul Drake had talked with one of your friends earlier. You and your friends can talk about arrangements with me. Congratulations on being the lucky winners Paul chose."

"Thank you, Mr. Mason. We'd love to do it again anytime," Velma told him.

"I know. Is your friend at home or do you want to talk with me?"

"You can talk with me. Fred's out to a movie with Daphne. Shaggy is somewhere around here with Scooby."

Now it was getting Perry the idea of the names.

"I told Paul that I was happy to pay for your visit while you're out here with me."

"He mentioned that to Fred," Velma said.

"I told him that I wouldn't mind looking after your dog. That's what we need to talk about in this conversation."

"We haven't made any arrangements for hotels yet, Mr. Mason. We're still excited to meeting you finally and help whatever we can. Does that mean we get to go to the courtroom with you?"

"Yes," he answered.

"That's cool! I'll pass that on to the others. They'll think it's cool," Velma said.

He didn't say anything after that. When he did, he said, "Miss Velma, it was a pleasure talking with you. Please give myself or Paul a call when you have plans arranged."

"Thank you, Mr. Mason. We'll do exactly that. Have a good – evening."

"Same to you," he returned.

That was the end of their conversation. Perry was happy that was done.


	9. Chapter 9

One day, Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy had the chance to see Perry's office in person, and they were very lucky to do that as winners. The gang took their rental car to find his office.

"Fred, did you tell Paul that Scooby talks?"

"I don't remember if I did or not. If I didn't, they'd be in for a big surprise."

They all laughed, and so did Scooby.

"That's funny for sure," Scooby said.

"Are we there yet? We're both hungry."

"You're always hungry, Shaggy. Is there anything else you can talk about that doesn't involve food?" Daphne asked.

"No. Maybe Perry Mason has food in his office."

"He probably can't do that when he's working on cases."

"That makes a lot of sense to me," Fred said.

"Unless there's a snack around."

A few minutes later, he said, "I think we're getting closer."

"I can't wait. A mystery that involves a family member. Do you think his mother will be around?" Velma asked.

"Good question, Velma. I really didn't get much information when I talked with Perry. He'll tell us when we get there."

"That makes sense. I don't want to see any blood on this case," Shaggy said.

"We can't control that."

"Daphne's right. I love reading them when I'm not solving them. Either way, I still enjoy it."

"Good for you, Velma. It's not the type of book I'd read. You can give me a cookbook anytime."

An idea popped up in Velma's head.

"You have an idea for me?"

"Of course, Shaggy. Since you love food, there are several murder mysteries out there that is in your area."

"How can food be around murder mysteries? I hope they're not violent."

"The ones I've read in the past aren't. They're pretty easy reading. I'll show you when we're back home again."

"Okay."

Fred pulled into the parking lot outside Perry's office.

"This looks like we came to the right place, gang. Let's go inside."

"Can I come too, Freddy?"

"Sorry, Scoob. You'll have to stay here."

"Why?"

"Mr. Drake did mention the me he can't be around fur."

"Drats."

"If he's ever going to be with Scooby around, he'll have to be careful, then."

Fred let Velma knock on the door. It didn't take the gang very long to wait for someone to let them in. They all saw that a woman let them in.

"Are you Della?" Fred asked.

"Yes. Why don't you come right in? You must be the lucky winners," she said.

"Yes," Daphne said.

"What happened to your dog? Paul mentioned something about a dog."

"He's in the car."

"Why not bring him in?"

"Is Paul around?"

"Not at the moment. He's letting Perry do the talking because it involves him. I'll go and tell him you made it."

After Della left, Velma said, "It's a good thing we're not the only women here."

Daphne had to agree.

Della returned shortly.

"He'll be with you in a few minutes. He has a client."

"Are they almost finished?"

"Getting close. Is there anything I can do for while you're waiting?"

"Do you have any food around?" Shaggy asked.

"No. Just water. Would any of you like to have coffee or water?"

"We're good for now," Fred answered.

They watched as the door finally opened as a man and his wife walked out.

"Thank you, Perry. Let us know what you find," the man said.

"I sure will. I have company now, so we shall keep in touch."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mason."

"I'll do the best I can."

He saw the gang and Della.

"You must be the lucky winners. Why don't you all come in the office and talk? I'd like to get know you before I share about what happened to my father."

Fred let Daphne and Velma in first.

"Paul mentioned that dog of yours. Where is he?"

"Scooby's in the car. Should we let him in or is Paul coming in later?" Shaggy asked.

"Paul wouldn't be here. He'll be around later. We can talk about your dog while Paul isn't here."

"He mentioned that he's allergic to fur," Fred said.

"Yes, he is, but not severe," Perry said as Shaggy left for the car.

While waiting, he was already starting to get bored because the gang was inside the building. He finally saw Shaggy heading over. His tail started to wag with excitement. Shaggy unlocked the car.

"The coast is clear, old pal. Mr. Drake isn't in, and Mr. Mason said you could join us."

"Yea! I was already starting to get bored, Raggy."

"I don't blame you."

So the dog jumped out of the car while Shaggy locked it again. Then they entered the office once more. The gang were finished telling about the mysteries they'd solved in the past. They did introductions while he went to get the dog.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No, Shaggy. We were only telling Mr. Mason about all of the mysteries we solved," Velma answered.

"Good."

"You can call me Perry."

"That's fine with us. Why don't you start?" Daphne asked.

"Well, there really isn't much. I heard the story from my mother."

"How is she handling this?"

"Fred, she's still upset about having my father ending his life this way. I'm still pretty shocked myself. The hardest part for ms I didn't get the chance to say good – bye, and my mother wasn't around to see him murdered."

"It's hard to loose a family member,especially when it's a parent."

"Of course it is."

"You're lucky they're still alive until now," Velma said.

"Yes, I know that. Some of my friends don't have their folks around anymore, but nothing like this."

"Have you told your friends?"

"Fred, not yet, I haven't. I will do that tonight or tomorrow. My mother and I are taking it one day at a time."

"Do you know the details about what the person looked like?"

Perry shook his head.

"No. I wish I had that information. Since my mother was out shopping, she told the police she didn't know either. Then that's when she called me and Paul came up with the idea of having a contest and I fell for it."

They heard somebody walk in.

"I'll take care of this, Perry. You keep talking to our guests."

"All right, Della. You go right ahead."

"What else happened then?"

"This is all I know for right now. At the moment my mother is scared about having a lonely house without her murdered husband and only child. I'm already getting the idea to move so she wouldn't be so lonely like this."

Della returned.

"Perry, a client would like to speak with you."

"Tell him I'll be available in a few minutes."

"All right."

"Now I have an appointment. We can talk later about setting arrangements. It was nice to have you come all this way. Paul can take care of you. I'll give him a call after this."

"Thank you, Perry. It was nice to talk with you."

"And you as well, Fred. We can talk about the dog also. Now's not the right time for introduction."


End file.
